Alert to Pet Owners:
Traveling from Phoenix to Juneau by air last month, I proceeded to baggage claim to pick up my little dog in Seattle to exercise her during the two-and-a-half hour layover. They informed me she was dead.

Houston, Bischoff to marry
Lea Amber Houston and Ryan Kenneth Bischoff, both of Juneau, will be married in a ceremony at 6 p.m. Aug. 14 at Aldersgate United Methodist Church.

Knowles seeks Katie John case delay
Delaying one of the most critical decisions of his political career, Gov. Tony Knowles this morning announced that he will hold a "subsistence leadership summit" in Anchorage next month if the U.S. Supreme Court agrees to an extended deadline for appealing the Katie John case.

City tries to make Riverside safe
Mendenhall Valley residents want the city to address speed, pedestrian safety and other traffic issues along the Riverside Drive corridor as consultants work on a long-range traffic plan for the area.

Columbia back in service Sunday
The state ferry Columbia will return to service Sunday, and by next Tuesday all of the ferries will be back on their published summer schedules, including the Malaspina in North Lynn Canal, state officials said.

Transportation plan gets OK
The Juneau Assembly approved the city's Area Wide Transportation Plan on Wednesday after strengthening calls for a second crossing over Gastineau Channel, light rail and ways to reduce demand for driver-only car trips.

Bye-bye ball
Dan VanPool of VanPool Painting prepares to remove the Union 76 orange ball that has towered above the downtown gas station on Willoughby Ave. for nearly 30 years.

Assembly pays off Bronson's legal bill
The Juneau Assembly on Wednesday decided to pick up legal fees for former city wastewater utility superintendent Andrew Bronson, who pleaded guilty last month to violating the federal Clean Water Act.

Huna trust preserved
Huna Totem Corp. doesn't have to dissolve a multi-million-dollar trust or let shareholders vote to do so, a judge ruled today in Juneau.

Juneau Color: Tongan family makes a village in Southeast
First came Leitoni Tupou in 1984.
Leitoni, now 44, worked as a corrections officer, and is currently a parole officer.
"He met his wife, Lori, in Hawaii and she was from Juneau," said Leitoni's sister Kueni Tupou Ma'ake. "They moved here, and in 1985 invited me to visit from California."

What Cheney fears
This editorial appeared in today's Los Angeles Times:
Vice President Dick Cheney is hiding something - and it's not the cost of his electric bills. It's bad enough that the man who told Americans, "If you want to leave all the lights on in your house, you can - but you will pay for it" has gotten the Navy to foot the electric bills for his mansion at the Washington Naval Observatory rather than pay them out of his own official budget. But Cheney's high-profile clumsiness shouldn't disguise a far more significant misstep.

Time to play the China card
The following editorial appeared July 17 in the The Times of London:
When Stalin and Mao Zedong signed a treaty of friendship half a century ago the two communist giants bestrode the world. Stalin had advanced the Russian Empire to the center of Europe; Mao had just won a bloody and resounding victory in the world's most populous country. The two men made no secret of their unremitting hostility to the capitalist world.

Word of Mouth
Word of Mouth gives readers a forum to express opinions on a variety of issues by telephone. Calls must be limited to one minute. We reserve the right to edit calls for clarity, length and libel. Callers must leave their name and a number at

Trail hikers should prepare for adversity
Already this summer two hikers have been rescued in Juneau's back yard - one in May near the bottom of the Mount Roberts Trail, the other in the wet weather after the Fourth of July off Powerline Ridge beyond Roberts Peak. On the recent search, about 18 people, several SEADOGS and a helicopter spent two days searching, finally locating the local hiker, Josh Shrader. He had fallen and injured his face and wrist. Happily, his German shepherd Ludwig intelligently retraced his steps down Mount Roberts Trail to the nature center and tram buildings where staff recognized him.

Wheelchair hunt is a challenge
FAIRBANKS -- When Dirk Johnson approached Alaska hunting guide Les Cobb at a trade show in Utah two years ago and inquired about a bear hunt, Cobb didn't know what to say.

Checking out spawning salmon
Far and away the biggest attraction for many of us when adult salmon return each year centers on catching and eating them.

A layman's guide to the weather: Reading the clouds
Predicting the weather in Southeast is easy: prepare for rain, and eventually it will pay off. But anglers, kayakers and other outdoorsmen wanting to gauge the weather during a trip need to understand a few basic concepts.

Summer will probably get wetter
Having sloshed through ski season, Juneau residents were ready for some sunshine. Instead we got nearly 13 inches of rain since April.

Ketchikan edges Juneau in Junior League tourney
Juneau's Gastineau Channel Little League Junior Division All-Stars loaded the bases with one out in the seventh inning, but couldn't get a run across as they fell 3-2 to Ketchikan Wednesday in what was supposed to be the championship game of the District 2-Southeast Junior Division (age 13-14) Little League Tournament at Moller Park in Sitka.

Juneau hosts state Senior Little League softball tourney
They haven't sacrificed any chickens yet, but how the bats are doing will be one of the biggest keys to the success of Juneau's Gastineau Channel Little League Senior All-Stars when they host the Alaska State Senior Division (age 15-16) Little League Softball Tournament this weekend.

Commission hears testimony on racism
ANCHORAGE -- A governor's commission appointed to learn how racism and prejudice victimize Alaskans heard of homeless Alaska Natives beaten on the streets, children with American Indian blood called "half-breeds" and gay men insulted by co-workers.

Anchorage mayor sues redistricting board
ANCHORAGE - Mayor George Wuerch sued the Alaska Redistricting Board on Wednesday on behalf of the municipality of Anchorage, with the help of Republican Party officials and without the agreement of the Anchorage Assembly.

Pilot's action cited as crash cause
ANCHORAGE - The National Transportation Safety Board says the plane crash last summer that killed a well-known pilot and three park rangers was caused by the pilots decision to fly into weather so bad it broke up the plane in mid-air.